The dictionary defines culture as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time.” Most of us are aware of culture, at least to some extent. Perhaps some individuals who have not traveled at all may believe that their system of beliefs and the characteristics of their way of life are universal, but the vast majority of us know that all of this varies greatly, even within the country in which we live. Where did culture originate and how are we, as Christians, to approach it? As always, on any subject touching our moral and spiritual life, we find wisdom in the Word of God.
The Beginnings
Up until man began to build the tower of Babel (Genesis 11), culture in this world was probably much the same everywhere. The world system which persists today had already begun, for we read that “Cain went out from the presence of the Lord ... and he builded a city” (Gen. 4:16-1716And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 17And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. (Genesis 4:16‑17)). Then his descendants began farming, commerce and the arts. In all this, however, the language, speech and ambitions of man were the same, except for the family of faith, whose lives were surely distinct from the violence and corruption that characterized the world.
Doubtless this homogeneity continued for a time after the flood, for we read that “the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech” (Gen. 11:11And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. (Genesis 11:1)). But then, because of man’s pride and his desire to “make us a name” (Gen. 11:44And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:4)), God confounded their language. The result was that “from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth” (Gen. 11:99Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9)). As different groups developed around the various languages, different cultures began to form, and eventually different nations. Adding to this was the beginning of idolatry, as men, energized by Satan, began to abandon their knowledge of the true God and turn to false religions. As these false religions took root, certain cultures began to be associated with them; lifestyles and ways of thinking followed their religious beliefs. Over the years, different ethnic groups and their cultures have risen and fallen; nations too have risen to prominence, only to have their influence reduced over time and, in many cases, to have disappeared. Yet today there are probably more nations than at any other time in the world’s history, and there are innumerable cultures within nations.
Reasons for Culture
As we know well, people are generally very proud of their culture and way of doing things, and they love to portray this to others. Manners, customs and dress are important to them and are often carefully safeguarded. It distinguishes them from other groups and makes them feel part of that which they cherish as their heritage. To a degree, we can be thankful for culture, for it often civilizes fallen man and enables him to get along with his fellow-man. As another has aptly put it, “Culture is an embalming fluid that prevents the corpse of fallen man from becoming too objectionable.” While sinful man might well deny the fact that he is indeed fallen, yet he recognizes that culture, by enforcing certain codes of conduct, makes human interaction less difficult. On the other hand, human culture, since it originates in fallen man, is necessarily tainted with sin and often condones and even encourages that which, in God’s eyes, is morally wrong. This is especially true when culture is allied with a false religion, for every false religion panders to man’s lusts by legitimatizing sin, making it seem all right.
God’s Grace
We are now living in the time of God’s grace. It is important to see that God recognizes these different ways of living and reaches out to each one of them with His love. “Repentance and remission of sins” was to be “preached in His [Jesus’] name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:4747And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)). No nation or culture was to be specially favored; all were the objects of God’s love and grace. In the Old Testament, Israel was God’s favored nation, and as such it had special privileges. Now God has, for the time, set Israel aside as a nation, and He calls upon all, Jew and Gentile alike, to come and be saved. This does not negate what Scripture says, namely, that “righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:3434Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34)), and God has, and does, bless nations that honor Him, even in an outward way. But God is not dealing with nations or cultures as such today; rather, He is calling out from every nation those whom He has chosen to form His church.
Church Truth Transcends Culture
This is a wonderful truth and transcends any culture. Man may be depraved and far off from God; he may be part of a culture that outwardly dishonors God or part of a false religion that allows moral wrongdoing. Yet the truth remains, “The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:12-1312For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:12‑13)). We may confidently proclaim God’s love to any of the human race; all may come to Christ and be part of His church. Sad to say, this has often been forgotten in the history of the church, resulting in the formation of so-called “churches” along national and ethnic lines, as well as on language backgrounds. But God’s Word knows of only one church, formed of all believers. This brings us to our next point.
During this day of God’s grace, He is seeking to reconcile every culture in the church. He takes people of diverse backgrounds in every way and from every walk of life — rich or poor, educated or not — and puts them together in His church. Then He gives them that which enables them to rise above their background and unites them as one in Christ Jesus. Thus Paul could say, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:2828There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)).
The Unity of Believers
The natural man loves his own culture and ways, usually thinking them to be superior to others. He glories in that which distinguishes him and his people, emphasizing those differences which seem to make him better than others. (Of course, there are those who, disgusted and disillusioned with their own people and their ways, look for an opportunity to emigrate, eventually to embrace another culture. But the pride continues, only with new ways.) But for the believer, he has that which lifts him above his own thoughts and brings him into a unity, not only with other believers, but with Christ Himself. The world does not understand this, as they see those who come together from radically different backgrounds, yet made one as members of the body of Christ.
However, we also recognize that God, while bringing souls together from every culture, does not do away with the things that distinguish that culture, as long as they do not run counter to His claims. Thus Paul, in seeking to reach souls for Christ, adapted himself to various people in order to gain their ear. He could say, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). Likewise, those who preached the gospel in the early church did not try to change local culture, but rather preached Christ. However, Paul did not adapt himself to culture at the expense of truth. He was an educated man, but he could say to the Corinthians, an educated and proud people, “I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). He did not use human wisdom or knowledge to impress them, lest it interfere with the simplicity of the gospel. Once they were saved, the proud and wealthy Corinthians found themselves in the body of Christ with those from Macedonia, who were relatively poor. Yet the Corinthians learned from their poor brethren how to give generously.
This brings us to our final point.
The Word Judges Every Culture
God through His Word judges every culture. As mentioned earlier, human culture, while seeking to elevate man, is permeated with failure and sin. Every culture has in it that which God’s Word speaks to and condemns. For example, Habakkuk, by inspiration, could call the Chaldeans “that bitter and hasty nation” (Hab. 1:66For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs. (Habakkuk 1:6)), while Hosea could say of Israel, “He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress” (Hos. 12:77He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress. (Hosea 12:7)). In the New Testament, Paul called the attention of Titus to the natural character and culture of the Cretans, using the strong language written by one of their own, more than 500 years before: “The Cretans are always liars, evil wild beasts, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:1212One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. (Titus 1:12) JND). For these, and the bad characteristics of every other culture, God gives a rebuke in His Word, and He gives us what is needed to overcome.
Once we are saved, we belong to a new “culture,” if we might use the term, for we have new life in Christ. “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). We cannot excuse the activity of the flesh by saying, “But that is our culture!” (I have heard this plea from some who, as Christians, wanted to excuse certain bad practices in their lives.) Through God’s Word, the believer is able to deal with those things in his culture that are contrary to God and which hinder his development and growth as a Christian. Sometimes this can be very hard, for certain social customs and traditions can be very deeply ingrained, and failure to observe them may bring real reproach on a believer. However, we are called upon to be “a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:1414Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14)), for the believer is to be distinct from this world.
Rising Above Forms of Culture
In some areas of the world, such as North and South America, this may be somewhat easier to do, although the faithful believer will always stand out from the course of this world. In those areas, there has been a melding of many different cultures, and people are accustomed to varying lifestyles and practices. But this, in turn, has given rise to another difficulty, as it has promoted pluralistic thinking. Sad to say, some Christians have bought into this and have supported pluralism, because it tolerates a form of Christianity that does not make demands on the culture or call it into question. The result is really absurdity, for ultimately absolute truth is denied; all truth is considered relative. But in other areas of the world, where religion and culture have been intimately tied together for thousands of years, any deviation from the norm immediately arouses strong resentment. The river of common custom and behavior runs very strong and very deep, and all are expected to conform. But God gives the grace for whatever conditions He may allow, and there is more power in the Spirit of God to help us honor Him than in all of Satan’s hosts to drag us down.
In summary, then, we may say that God recognizes culture and reaches out in grace to all cultures in this day of the gospel of His grace. He brings them together “in one body by the cross” (Eph. 2:1616And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (Ephesians 2:16)), raising them above the background in which they grew up, and gives them new desires and associations. Finally, He judges every culture, showing us in His Word how to weed out those attitudes and patterns of living that hinder our walk with Him, in order that we might “walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:88For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (Ephesians 5:8)).
W. J. Prost